If you’ve taken a moment to look over the upcoming Service Ministry events in the 2010 Calendar for St. John’s MCC, you’ve seen the staggering schedule that the Team has proposed. It made me tired, and I can swirl around a room for days at a time! These people need some help getting it put together.

The Team and quite a few interested Saints made their way to the basement classroom after the 11:00 Celebration worship service on Sunday, February 28th, to see if all of that was possible.

Lunchboxes of Love at Moore Square

It seems that every time you turn around, these Saints are going to be feeding hungry people as a part of the Lunchboxes of Love at Moore Square project. The dates on the calendar are March 20, April 24, May 29, June 26, July 24, September 11, and December 11. All of them are on Saturdays.

Since that is a whole lot of feeding that the Saints want to do, several different people volunteered to coordinate the efforts for the different Saturdays. But, of course, those coordinators will need more help. They always seem to clean the kitchen after they fix all those lunchboxes, so there won’t be much left for me afterward, but it will be fun watching all the scurrying about. I’ll try to stay out of the way.

NC AIDS Walk & Ride 2010

The first Saturday in May (May 1) is the NC AIDS Walk & Ride for 2010. Every year, St. John’s MCC takes a lead in walking, riding bicycles, setting up a booth near the finish line, and staffing a pitstop along the bike route. St. John’s people also take a lead in soliciting contributions to this annual event that benefits the Alliance of AIDS Services – Carolina.

The Saints at the meeting volunteered to coordinate the various aspects of the event so that no one person has to do it all. You will definately be hearing from them soon.

That’s going to be a very fun Saturday.

Mother’s Day Potluck Lunch

One weekend later, they’re also planning a Potluck Lunch to follow the 11:00 am worship service on Mother’s Day, May 9th. You know how this works. You’ll bring enough food to feed your family and a few extra helpings for a guest or two. The leftovers will be fun for me. You’ll hear more about it as it gets closer.

Faith in Action Month

In August, these people are planning a whole month of activities that show how the Saints from St. John’s put their Faith in Action. It will be culminated by a Sunday of Service on August 29th. You’ll hear more about that too!

Sometimes It Is Good …

Sometimes it is good to be a fly on the wall at these things. It was exciting for me. I hope you feel it too.

Mr. Fred – the guy who coordinates all this stuff along with Mr. Charles – wants me to come back on Sunday, March 14th when they put some finishing touches on the plans. I wouldn’t miss it for nothin’!

My first reaction was, “Oh my! Our friend, Amy, has laid it all out on the line. She has revealed her struggle to everyone. That is SO brave.”

Last week, one of St. John’s MCC’s most beloved and respected young women, Amy Lambert, was featured in a story in the Independent Weekly that explained the difficulty of being treated for an eating disorder like Amy’s.

By revealing her struggle, Amy raises our awareness of people who can’t get what they need to sustain a good quality of life. She has let everyone see her vulnerabilities. Most of us can’t seem muster the courage to do that. But what Amy has done is send out a call to begin changing a system so people like Amy can have access to resources that they desperately need.

When we struggle with our own issues, we can get very self-consumed by them. We often forget that there are others who facing the same kinds of challenges. But Amy is not like that. By taking her story to the people, Amy has opened the door for something to be done about the problem. Everyone who suffers in similar ways can benefit from what Amy has endured and from Amy’s road to recovery.

Thank you Amy!

Please read the whole story, written by Rebekah L. Cowell, in the February 24, 2010, edition of the Independent Weekly or online at this link. As of this writing, a few print copies are available in the Resource Center across the entranceway from the Sanctuary.

The Gospel of Inclusion
Tuesday Night Bible Study

Here is your chance to understand how it is possible that God could truly love you. When Pastor Belva first introduced The Gospel of Inclusion, by Carlton Pearson, to St. John’s people, it made an impact that continues to this day. We talk about the concepts presented in Pearson’s book almost every week.

Now, you can go to the source by taking Pastor Belva’s Tuesday Night Bible Study class, The Gospel of Inclusion.

The study begins on Tuesday, January 12th, beginning at 6:30 in the Sanctuary. Copies of the book may be purchased at many local bookstores and on Amazon.com.

If you have any questions about the study, please see Pastor Belva or talk with any of the many Saints who have studied this book with her. You can also see a review of the book on the St. John’s MCC Community Website.

Please join us! All are welcome!

Banish the Guilt and the Shame
about Homosexuality from Your Life!

As you would expect from a course about homosexuality and the Bible that is taught at St. John’s MCC, Freed from Guilt … Freed from Shame! exposes the Bible passages that are often turned against us, revealing the original meaning and context of the verses without a twisted political agenda.

But this class goes even deeper.

• We will expose the political agenda in organized religion that brought forth a distorted view of God’s word that has been used to put us down.
• We will work through years-old feelings and voices that made us ashamed of our “secret” lives.
• We will begin to understand God’s gift of sexuality to us and how we can honor that gift while being true to ourselves. Instead of being ashamed of it, we will begin to be grateful to God for it.
• We will turn the tide of bitterness and hatred for those who have abused us when they used their twisted brand of “biblical authority” against us. We will find ways to begin loving them in a brand new way.

All of this happens during Topics at Ten continues this Sunday, and new participants are welcome. We normally meet in Friendship Hall. We will provide the study materials for you.

If you have any questions, please contact Jim Manchester or any of the Saints who have taken this course in the past.

A new and thorough examination of the cause and consequences of Bible abuse that is directed at homosexuals can be found at this link. First researched and compiled as a presentation for a local community group, the study has two goals: 1) to look at who it is that commits abuse of specific biblical passages and then directs it toward homosexuals – and why and 2) “to try to determine what the original biblical texts actually say.” Remarkably, it is not the goal of the study “to debate the relevance or infallibility of biblical scripture or to proselytize.”

In its refreshing conclusion, the writer shows that there is more biblical evidence that God loves everyone God created than the spurious notion that God wants to condemn and reject us.

The piece is chock full of notes and interesting facts, making it an enjoyable and fascinating read. I found it well worth the few hours it takes to read all the material.

This study takes a different approach to the Problem of Bible Abuse by religious conservatives. Some of you have taken my class called “Freed from Guilt • Freed from Shame: Overcoming Bible Abuse about Homosexuality.” You will find this study complimentary to that class. I recommend it with two thumbs up.